The Differences Between Paralegals And Attorneys

Most people are confused when it comes to the two terms “paralegal” and “attorney”. Sometimes it’s difficult to distinguish between the two terms. Some people consider “paralegals” and “attorneys” to be able to handle the same types of legal work, often having trouble interpreting the differences between the two.

The term “Paralegal” is used in most jurisdictions to define a non-lawyer who supports attorneys in their legitimate work. Anyone can be a paralegal regardless of whether he or she completes law school. The National Federation of Paralegal Associations defines a paralegal as "a person, qualified through education, training or work experience to perform substantive legal work that requires knowledge of legal concepts and is customarily, but not exclusively, performed by a lawyer." In most cases a paralegal assists an attorney in their day-to-day activities.

Although it may appear as though lawyers have the ultimate responsibility for legal work, they often allocate many of their responsibilities to paralegals. For this reason they are often referred to as legal assistants. Under a lawyer, they can carry out legal investigation, factual inquiry, file motions in court, draft legal motions and/or write legal memoranda. Though paralegals often perform many of the duties that are usually performed by an attorney, a paralegal is not officially permitted to practice law; that why paralegals have restrictions when it comes to offering legal advice since paralegals do not have a legal license to practice law.

An attorney on the other hand is the official designation of a lawyer. An attorney can concentrate his or her practice in a definite part such as litigation, goods and service liability, or a wide range of other choices. An attorney becomes licensed to practice law only after completing his or her academic requirements and passing a state BAR examination

An attorney is legally registered to practice law, provide counsel on matters of legal precedent and represent clients in matters of the law on the behalf of client. Attorneys can drafts of legitimate papers such as deeds, contracts and wills. Attorneys are also required to be insured should malpractice or other monetary issues arise whereas a paralegal is not legally required to be insured.